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Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Acting1955Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

Biography

William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, four Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has frequently collaborated with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theatre company The Wooster Group.

He made his film debut with an uncredited role in Heaven's Gate (1980). Dafoe's early career includes credits for The Loveless (1982), Streets of Fire (1984), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He earned his first Academy Award nomination for the war drama Platoon (1986), followed by nominations for his roles in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Florida Project (2017), and the Vincent van Gogh biopic At Eternity's Gate (2018). He also gained acclaim and wide recognition for his roles as Jesus Christ in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and as the supervillain Norman Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), a role he reprised in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

His other film appearance include roles in Mississippi Burning (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Light Sleeper (1992), Body of Evidence (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The English Patient (1996), Affliction (1997), New Rose Hotel(1998), Existenz (1999), The Boondock Saints (1999), American Psycho (2000), Auto Focus (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Inside Man (2006), Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), Antichrist (2009), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Nymphomaniac (2013), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), John Wick (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Aquaman (2018), The Lighthouse (2019), Nightmare Alley (2021), Poor Things (2023), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Acting History

Future
Cuddle
as Dante
A Christmas Carol
as Ebenezer Scrooge
Tenzing
as Colonel John Hunt
Tropico
as Raymond
Tropico
Producer
2026
The Birthday Party
as Marcos Timoleon
Late Fame
as Ed Saxberger
2025
The Man in My Basement
as Anniston Bennett
Avrio Vrady
as Dancing man
Pet Shop Days
as Francis
Zero
as (voice)
The Souffleur
as Lucius
Grande Envie
as Count
The Oscars
TVas Self - Presenter1 eps
The Man in My Basement
Executive Producer
2024
Saturday Night
as David Tebet
Kinds of Kindness
as Raymond / George / Omi
Jesus Goes to Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
Finally Dawn
as Rufo Priori
Nosferatu
as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz
Mostra, Venise
TVas Self1 eps
2023
Gonzo Girl
as Walker Reade
The Wild One
as Narrator (voice)
Asteroid City
as Saltzburg Keitel
Poor Things
as Godwin Baxter
Inside
as Nemo
2019
Motherless Brooklyn
as Paul Randolph
Vincent van Gogh Superstar
as Vincent van Gogh (archive footage)
Togo
as Leonhard Seppala
Manou the Swift
as Manou's Father (voice)
The Lighthouse
as Thomas Wake
Conan
TVas Self1 eps
2017
2016
Finding Dory
as Gill (voice)
Father
as James Verdun
The Great Wall
as Ballard
Nelson Algren Live
as Role1 / Frankie Machine / Role2 / Blackie Cavanaugh
My Hindu Friend
as Diego Fairman
Dog Eat Dog
as Mad Dog
A Family Man
as Ed Blackridge
2014
The Fault in Our Stars
as Peter van Houten
Most Wanted Man, A
as Tommy Brue
Bad Country
as Bud Carter
Pasolini
as Pier Paolo Pasolini
John Wick
as Marcus
2013
Odd Thomas
as Wyatt Porter
Out of the Furnace
as John Petty
Saving Norman
as Lionel Pembrooke
The Benaki Museum
as Narrator (voice)
The Smile Man
as Willem
2011
The Hunter
as Martin David
2010
Miral
as Eddie
Daybreakers
as Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
as Detective Hank Havenhurst
A Woman
as Max Oliver
2008
Adam Resurrected
as Commandat Klein
Go Go Tales
as Ray Ruby
Fireflies in the Garden
as Charles Waechter
2007
Mr. Bean's Holiday
as Carson Clay
To Each His Own Cinema
as (segment "Occupations") (archive footage)
The Procedure
as Christopher
Anamorph
as Stan Aubray
The Walker
as Larry Lockner
Spider-Man 3
as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
2006
Inside Man
as John Darius
American Dreamz
as Chief of Staff
Paris Je T'aime
as Le cow-boy (Place des Victoires)
2000
Bullfighter
as Father Ramirez
Animal Factory
as Earl Copen
Shadow of the Vampire
as Max Schreck
American Psycho
as Donald Kimball
The Directors
TVas Self1 eps
1998
Lulu on the Bridge
as Dr. Van Horn
Affliction
as Rolfe Whitehouse
1997
Wrong Guys
as Jack Straw
The Simpsons
TVas Commandant (voice)1 eps
1996
Victory
as Axel Heyst
The English Patient
as David Caravaggio
Basquiat
as The Electrician
1995
1994
Tom & Viv
as Tom Eliot
Inside the Actors Studio
TVas Self1 eps
1993
Faraway, So Close!
as Emit Flesti
Brace Up!
as Colonel Alexander Ignatyevich Vershinin
Body of Evidence
as Frank Dulaney
1992
White Sands
as Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal
Light Sleeper
as John LeTour
1991
Flight of the Intruder
as Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole
Fishing with John
TVas Self1 eps
1990
Wild at Heart
as Bobby Peru
Cry-Baby
as Hateful Guard
1987
1986
Platoon
as Sergeant Elias Grodin
The Hitchhiker
TVas Jeffrey Hunt1 eps
1984
The Loveless
as Vance
Atalanta Strategy
as Immigration Staff
Roadhouse 66
as Johnny Harte
New York Nights
as Boyfriend
Streets of Fire
as Raven Shaddock
1983
The Hunger
as 2nd Phone Booth Youth
1980
Heaven's Gate
as Willy (uncredited)

Social Media

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
7/22/1955(70 years old)
Place of Birth
Appleton, Wisconsin, USA